JOSH GORGES SIGNED TO ONE YEAR CANADIENS CONTRACT

Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier put the final piece of his training camp roster in place with the signing of defenceman Josh Gorges to a one-year 2.5 million dollar contract today.

The Canadiens now have 21 players under contract and are not expected to make any more moves before training camp opens on September 15th. They have have 5.18 million dollars in available cap space.

The signing averted a scheduled July 28th arbitration hearing. Gorges now will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season .

From the Canadiens Publicity Department –

CANADIENS SIGN JOSH GORGES TO A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

MONTREAL (July 22, 2011) – Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier announced tonight the signing of defenseman Josh Gorges to a one-year contract (2011-12). As per club policy, financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Josh Gorges for the 2011-12 season. He is a very reliable defenseman for our club. Josh is recovering extremely well from his knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for half of the regular season and the playoffs, and we look forward to seeing him at training camp,” said Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier.

Gorges, 26, completed his sixth season with the Canadiens in the NHL in 2010-11. The defenseman registered seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in 36 games. He served 18 penalty minutes and averaged 21:10 seconds of ice time per game. Gorges suffered a season-ending injury to his right knee on December 26 at Long Island.

Since his NHL debuts in 2005-06, Gorges has registered 59 points (9 goals, 50 assists) in 364 regular-season games. The 6’1’’, 200 lbs defenseman has recorded 183 penalty minutes and maintained a +12 plus/minus differential. Gorges has scored three of his goals on the powerplay. He has accumulated seven assists (0-7-7) in 46 career playoff contests.

A native of Kelowna, British Columbia, Gorges first signed with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent on September 20, 2002. He was acquired by the Canadiens from San Jose on February 25, 2007.